How Big is Your Faith?
I've been told that every spiritual journey will include a natural journey. And the natural will always come before the spiritual. That is to say, that we have to take the first steps in the natural before the spiritual steps can take place.
1 Corinthians 15:46 (NIV) The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
This verse is referring to the first and last Adam, but since God has put us (a spiritual being) in this natural universe (a physical body inhabiting a celestial sphere), we have to start any spiritual walk by using our physical legs.
I was looking for the steps I needed to take in this new year, when I heard a young man, one of my mentors, say just what I was needing to hear. To have great faith I will have to do some things in the natural. He gave me a simple plan. The way he put it, first all I need to do is increase my Word intake. To put it another way, I need to get more of the Word of God into my inner man. Wait this is not simple; this is hard. This takes time. This takes effort. Oh, all right, it isn't backbreaking work, but it means not watching as many "Lost" episodes. Good grief!
Next he said I need to increase my prayer life. All I have to do, he said, is return God's words to Him. Pray what I see in the Bible in other words. Crikey! More time. There goes "Criminal Minds" and "NCIS."
I thought he was finished when he came up with one thing more to make a little triad (these guys love three's). Again in his words, I need to increase my "love walk." He said I wasn't just building (living) for me, I was living (building) for others. Well finally something that doesn't require me to give up my life. All I have to do is love that jerk upstairs who plays his stereo too loud. Or maybe that inconsiderate boob who always tries to get my parking place. What about those guys across the hall who look weird. Then there's the smelly guy at work who thinks all the customers are his. Okay this may be harder than I thought.
To have great faith:
- increase your word intake
- increase your prayer life
- increase your love walk
These are not goals as such. If I tried to quantify the first two parts, I would just turn them into rituals and never get anywhere. As for the third part, I know of no logically way that I could measure it. So they will have to become priorities. My top three priorities. I knew this year would have some great challenges, but I forgot that challenges are not always easy to deal with.
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~rachman
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posted by rachman | 4:57 PM
4 Comments:
I know what you mean about challenges....they can feel daunting....but then once one begins to succeed the feeling is so good!
I like the picture of the iceberg. I hope you great success with your challenges this year.
Thanks Rob, and you hit the nail on the head. The challenges are a little daunting, but I can't wait to get the process under way.
Thank you, Scott. I think it is going to be an exciting year ahead.
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